Oct. 22 (UPI) — Wealthy real estate heir Robert Durst, who was sentenced to life in prison last week for a different murder, now faces charges in New York of killing his wife almost 40 years ago, prosecutors said Friday.
A charge of second-degree murder was filed against Durst earlier this week stemming from the disappearance of his wife, Kathie, in 1982.
Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah announced the charge Friday.
Kathie Durst’s disappearance baffled police for decades and ultimately made Durst the subject of a Hollywood film and an HBO documentary.
Last week, Durst was sentenced to life in prison in California for killing associate Susan Berman in 2000. Authorities said Berman helped Durst cover up his wife’s disappearance and was about the confess to her role when she was killed.
Kathie Durst’s body was never found and there was no known crime scene.
Durst, 78, has been in a Los Angeles medical ward for the past five years. He recently tested positive for COVID-19 and was put on a ventilator.
Durst is the eldest son of New York real estate developer Seymour Durst, whose family fortune is worth about $8 billion. Durst has been estranged from his family since the 1990s.
In 2015, he participated and handed over personal recordings for the HBO documentary The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst. The tapes were played in California court during his trial for Berman’s death.
